Nerd Score

So I havent written anything since E3. There really isnt much to write about anyway but thats no excuse. Truthfully I have been busy trying to get accepted to WVU (West Virginia University, for the un-informed), as well as, getting all my shit together for the move once I was accepted. Thankfully, this is the last day of packing but once I arrive I will have to deal with financial aid…not really a fun thing.

The other reason I haven’t been writing is because I’ve had an in-law staying here the last three weeks. On Wednesday, we tried playing some Rock Band only to find out some disappointing news. Apparently, my drive is fucked and can no longer spin any discs so I keep getting “Unplayable Disc” messages. After calling up my favorite 1 800 number, I found out that I would need to pay $100 to have it fixed. Fuck you M$, I know that it will take 2 months before I see that shit again and it will probably break again within 2 weeks. Too much hassle to pay 1/3 of the retail price for shitty service. I seriously considered getting a PS3, but I have too much money invested in Rock Band DLC and too many exclusives that I want to get for the 360. I was running out of room on my hard drive to store all the Rock Band content so I went ahead and purchased the new 60GB model which is supposed to drop by $50 in a month so I should be able to get a price match.

Now I have tons of money to pay back to the credit card, so the premium Ion Rock Band 2 drums look like an even further away possibility. Hopefully I’ll be able to save up enough cash money to pay off this system and get the new drums, otherwise I’ll have to wait until Christmas. Too long to wait when your trying to go pro liek me.

So yeah, that’s my story. I leave for vacation tomorrow morning so you wont hear from me for another week, but I’ll be seeing you all soon.

I tried keeping this news a secret from Rath but I’m sure he’ll read it before I have the chance to tell him myself. If you do read this Rath, give me a call.

As for all you guys I met in Alabama, so long, and thanks for all the fun times. Unfortunately, I hate Alabama and I have such an erection to relocate.

Warning!

Rampant and delusional fanboyism will be found in the following video.  Never before has such a fanboy been documented.  This guy is seriously ill and needs help before he starts trying to murder Xbox 360 owners who are, as he calls them, “faggot Americans.”  I’m not sure if he stepped out of his Mom’s basement in the last 40 years of his life (I’m guessing his age by his receding hairline and looks) but I can’t blame him because I’m sure he gets the hook-up on all the cookies and milk he desires.  He’s obviously Japanese, which makes me wonder why this video is in English.  I really don’t know where to begin on this kid.  If your not familiar with the story…basically Square Enix decided to release Final Fantasy 13 on the Xbox 360, as well as, the PS3.  Originally, the game was announced as an exclusive to the PS3.  Square Enix realized that there was twice as many Xbox 360 owners in America, not to mention that the system also has more RPGs on it than the PS3.  It was a smart business move on their part and I’m glad that it’s going to be multi-platform.  It would be funny if it became an exclusive to the 360, but I wanted wish that on a PS3 owner.

Anyways just watch this depressing and scary video.

Apparently, there is a petition on the internet requesting for FFXIII to be a Sony exclusive.  The grammar of the petition is weak and has some mispellings.  A sorry effort when you want to prove that you have a valid reason for not wanting FFBigNumber to go multi-platform.  Even worse is the fact that it is only one line long.  I guess some PS3 owners need to feel secure in their purchasing decision.   These people are called fanboys.  They can be found on any console and are impervious to your efforts to explain why other consoles are good.  I use to be a Nintendo fanboy and I defended the Gamecube throughout its life and with good reason.  It had some good games, but I also owned a PS2 and an Xbox during the last generation.  Yesterday would be the day I stopped becoming dedicated to protecting the Nintendo image because of their shitty press conference.  I have a feeling they’ll turn it around come Fall, but I really don’t care because I still have my 360, DS, and PC.  If I had the money I could add PS3 to that list.  That’s why it would suck to be a Fanboy, besides every sane gamer thinking your fucking retarded, you have to suck it up and deal with the dry spells that occur when you only have a single system.

I’d like to take this opportunity to start my own petition here on Nerdscore.  Just sign your name or talk shit about this kid in a comment at the end of the article if you think he is fucking retarded. 

Nintendo is bringing more cowbell and a double bass drum kit to the Wii. What Nintendo believes to have been its showstopper at this year’s E3, they announced and showcased gameply from their upcoming WiiMusic. This game offered 6 people all playing different instruments, including cowbell, saxophone, guitars, other forms of perscusion and wind instruments, and a virtual drum kit that offers double bass via the Wii Balance Board. Aside from being able to just go crazy on a full drum set with the assistance of the new WiiMotionPlus controls, there really isnt any reason to play this game in my opinion. The drums are neat, but there are no real instruments. Everything is controlled with already existing controllers, plus you can’t fail a song.

That’s right, Nintendo has taken out the challenge of music games. All you have to do is move around and hit a few buttons and then you here music from classic Nintendo games. You dont have to hit buttons in any particular order or at any particular time. Monkeys can now conduct music.

As a hardcore Nintendo fanboy I have to say that I am very dissappointed with the Nintendo Press Conference. There was a total of zero games that really interested me. Nintendo has moved too far beyond the core gamers searching for this blue ocean that they have become lost in a Bermuda Triangle of sorts where no actual games exist. Last year’s big E3 announcement was WiiFit and now we get WiiMusic. Next year WiiLearn, WiiEat? Oh yeah, they did mention a new recipe book for the DS to help you cook. Big games coming out, big games. I was pumped for WiiFit, but it turned out to suck and I am planning on selling it this week. Now we get more games that aren’t actually games? The Wii console is quickly turning in to a non-gaming console. At least that seems to be Nintendo’s focus.

Nintendo’s seemingly second-biggest announcement? I am presuming this by the order of the press conference and time spent on each title. Apparently they believe that a new WiiFit announced two months after the original release is awesome news. We all new it was coming, nowhere near this soon because the gameplay is finished. But come on, they new game has barely been out and you want us to be excited for WiiFit:Resort only two months later at the biggest event of the year.

Where are all the new IPs that Nintendo was talking about that were suppose to be coming out in the near future? I sure hope they werent talking about WiiMusic. It includes that orchestra conducting demo we’ve all seen over the last two years, so that isnt really new.

There was no Kid Icarus, and Regie Fils-Aime can be quoted on G4Tv as saying “We never actually announced it.” Wow, thanks. Can’t wait to play baby pussy music touch and friendly cuddly stupid animals on planet games. Speaking of Animal Planet. Regie said that was for the hardcore gamers when asked why there wasn’t any games for the hardcore fans. My mouth is still on the floor. Animal Planet Wii will be online and feature a new hardware peripheral. No surprise there because every new Nintendo game comes with a new peripheral, usually a type of controller.

That’s really the only big news this year for Nintendo. Two new peripherals, both of which I welcome but my living room already looks like a controller graveyard. The first was actually announced yesterday. Its an add-on to the WiiMote that transforms with the accelerometer and sensor bar to a fully 1:1 motion controller within a virtual 3D area. Finally, our swords will swing where we swing. We now need a new Zelda. The sword controls were demoed within WiiFit:Resort and looked pretty sweet according to G4. I got bored with WiiFit and was ignoring the demo at that point so I’ll have to go rewatch it tonight.

Regie didn’t do a whole lot of talking this year, instead they had a soccer mom boring the shit out of me with tales of her snowboarding accident before they finally announced the first game of the press conference. White Snowboarding. Yes Shawn White the gold medalist. He was there but it was torture leading up to the announcement. It was quite some time before they showed a game. White Snowboarding was actually the best of the show in my opinion. Then they showed some mini games from the new Rayman where you could sled ride down a mountain by sitting on the balance board. After that it was pretty standard and boring. Announcing games such as Call of Duty: World at War. I hope my character doesn’t continuously hop like in Medal of Honor. I’m not even interested in this game on the other systems because its Treyarch and not Infinity Ward.

The other new peripheral was is a microphone to use in online games. Specifically developed for Animal Planet, the microphone actually functions as a speaker-phone for in-game chats. Of course, parents will now be able to monitor what their children are being exposed to from others mouths and should also be able to better hear the profanities coming from their of childrens mouths online. I believe anyone under 18 should only be allowed to use these on Xbox Live as well. Why? Because I really don’t like 12 years old talking hard. Calling adults fags, talking about raping adults, making them their bitches, or talking about their mothers is really not necessary from the prepubescent crowd.

Anyways, the new peripherals win. The games suck, so the peripherals lose in the end anyway.

It’s the Year of 2s for Microsoft’s Console. Many of the games that were featured during the Press Conference were the second outing for the titles. Nothing outstanding because of this fact, but exciting nonetheless. Games including Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Rock Band 2, The Second Party Animals, the Second Scene It, and Final Fantasy 13….uhh? 13?

Thats correct. Microsoft and Square Enix suprisingly announced the release of the new Final Fantasy game for the Xbox 360 in the last two minutes of the press conference. The audience seemed pretty shocked for this announcement after no mention of it was made during the Square Enix segment. I have to say, I was not really surpised. I always assumed it would be released for the 360. I mean Square Enix wants money like anyone else and the 360 is where the gamers are in North America.

So I have to say that none of the game announcements were really shocking because we all kind of knew what was coming this year. I think if we want secrets revealed we will have to wait for Nintendo’s press conference (which I’m watching right now). Even though Rock Band 2 didn’t have a spectacular and show stealing show like last year, what was announced for the game is nothing short of awesome.

Rock Band 2 will have over 100 songs and the track list is definitely the best ever created for a music game. Also, the original Rock Band 1 songs will also be able to be downloaded to your hard drive for free so that you won’t have to switch discs and play 2 different games. Unfortunately, they didn’t show the new hardware peripherals but the announcement of the game releasing in September only means that we will soon see the new versions. September is very soon and I am very poor, so I need to start begging on the corner now.

Probably one of the most inspiring announcements comes with the overhaul Microsoft has done to the Xbox 360 dashboard. Xbox Live members already know they skipped the Spring update so we knew something big was coming, but we couldn’t fathom a fraction of the truth. Microsoft gamercards will now feature avatars (very very similar to Miis, yet better) with unlimited amounts of clothing options which pwns the Wii Miis. Xbox 360 avatars will also be featured in videogames such as a virtual edition of 1 vs. 100 which is part of the new Xbox Live Primetime where games can compete and play along for prizes.

The dashboard is totally re-imagined and from the looks of it, I’m glad I never purchased any themes because I’m not sure if you can still use them. One of the sweetest and most useful updates is the use of a party system available for use outside of games. No more messing with 4 private chat channels because you can now have a chat room of up to 8 people but you can also move from one game to the next while in this party. This will be good for Gears of War 2 so I don’t have to listen to little kids or unemployed twenty-somethings tell me how awesome they are or how much of a faggot I am for raping them at Gears.

With the new party system you can also check out each others photos in a new photo channel. This actually makes sense, because I never really understood why I would want to store photos on my xbox in the past. Oh yeah, another big feature is the inclusion of Netfilx. If you have a Netflix and an Xbox Live account you have access to over 10,000 movies for no additional fees. In addition, your party can also watch movies with you. If my understanding is correct, only one person has to have the rights to watch the movie. Microsoft’s goal here is to create a virtual couch. You may not really be sitting next to a friend watching the movie but you can pretend and if you were on the same couch, then you would only need one dvd. I would expect some download time for everyone though.

Other games previewed that were sure to see more of in the next few days include Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5, Guitar Hero: World Tour, and probably the sweetest karaoke game ever. I’m talking about the game “Lips.” When I first started watching the game video, I thought to myself “gay” but when I continued watching and saw a Zune being plugged in to the 360 to keep the party going, my interest was piqued. It turns out that you can plug either a Zune or an iPod into the Xbox 360 and sing along to any song you own. Probably the sweetest idea ever, because at this point, I don’t expect much of my metal to ever end up on Rock Band. Plus my mother-in-law will stop asking about Country Band.

So that is the basics but I will continue to follow E3 and you can be sure we will retouch on many of these games and discover new information as the week unfolds.

I wish that were the excuse I had for not writing last week, but unfortunately, I’m just not that popular of a video game journalist.  Can I call myself that?  I suppose I can, but I’ll let you be the judge.

This week I hope to provide you continuous updates of E3 through articles, press conference reviews, and videos.  The video gallery (which is still on the left hand side will be continuously updated, but I will also periodically review/post some of these videos on the main page.

I have been enjoying the new Halo 3 map “Cold Storage” quite thoroughly since its release on Monday.  Although I was able to experience it with the holdiday hopper “ice treats” I have to play this level in any of the other Legendary Map Pack required playlists.  Of course, I haven’t played Swat this week, but I probably will tonight.  Should be interesting to play it on a small map to say the least.

I meant to post the Bungie Cold Storage ViDoc before the map release but I got lazy.  Either way, I still believe its worth a look even if you have already played the map.  So here it is in all its glory, and if you still haven’t downloaded the Legendary Map Pack, well shame on you, but its now available for 600 MS points.  Cold Storage is will be free forever.

At least half of this week’s content isn’t stuff we haven’t already seen before.  Pricing is standard and all tracks are masters.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow (Hey Oh)

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Tell Me Baby

Rush - Closer to the Heart

Rush - Working Man (Vault Edition) alternate-take master

You may already be wondering WTF on the Working Man.  I know the answer and I’m still saying this.  Working Man orginally appeared on Rock Band as a cover song of the album version.  This new version is a master but was not released on the album.  Rush recorded both versions and decided to release the version with which we are familiar with today.  I am upset with Harmonix with this decision because now I would rather have a version actually recorded by Rush instead of a cover band.

Next week, Harmonix has announced the long awaited release of The Who pack.  Originally, Harmonix stated that they would have an album by The Who ready for download when Rock Band was released.  Obviously they were quite short of the goal and it turns out that this release is not even an album.  Instead Harmonix, MTV, and members of The Who have collaborated on decided 12 tracks to make up an album.  Basically, a greatest hits of sorts.  Oh yeah, the bad news?  Once again, the price of Rock Band albums have increased.  The Who track pack/made-up album will be available for a full 1600 M$ points.  Equals $20 plus tax if you purchase the card in stores.

TRACKS: The Who 12 Pack
“Amazing Journey”
“Baba O’Riley”
“Behind Blue Eyes”
“Eminence Front”
“Going Mobile”
“Leaving Here”
“My Generation” (Live at Leeds)
“Real Good Looking Boy”
“Sea & Sand”
“Summertime Blues” (Live at Leeds)
“Who Are You”
“Young Man Blues” (Live at Leeds)

Just wanted to let you guys know that I added several Star Wars: The Force Unleashed videos to the video gallery.  None of them are really long, in fact, some are quite short but they all preview actual gameplay.  So check em out.

Just when I thought it was time to trade in Guitar Hero III for the Aerosmith edition, Activision and Red Octane come along with another free download.  I’ve seriously been trying to finish the game up over the last couple of days, but I still can’t beat Slayer’s song on Hard and I failed the guitar battle against Tom Morello on Expert.  Fortunately, for people who suck, like me, at least there will be something else for me to try and play starting July the 3rd. 

You’ll be able to download the Top Gun Anthem as a holiday treat starting this Thursday and probably only continuing through the weekend like most GHIII freebies.  I was secretly hoping for “Take My Breath Away,” or “That Loving Feeling” but I am suprised they didn’t include “Danger Zone” which would also have been sweet.

Either way, its free but does not include a life-size poster of Maverick unfortunately.

Rock on with your carnal knowledge.

Bungie has decided to bring back the freezing locale once known as Chill Out! in the original Halo.  The re-imagined level is going by the name Cold Storage and does have a chilling atmosphere to it.  These are the first screens Bungie has released and the only map we know about for the new map pack.

Looks like some type of BioResearch Storage, similar to what you would find in Metroid Prime.

Visually familiar. I believe if you jump to the right you can snatch the Rocket Lawn Chair.

In case you forgot the layout.

If you were hoping to get some practice in before the official release.  Then I suggest downloading the forged remake of Chill Out which is pretty good.

You can find the download here.